Most of the health questions I receive as a holistic coach have to do with what to eat, how much to exercise, which foods can help with specific concerns, or when is the best time of day to exercise.
While these are all valid questions, and part of the planning process when it comes to creating your own health journey, they are not the deep and powerful type of coaching questions that create transformation.
Before we dive into powerful health questions to ask yourself, let’s look at why questions are helpful.
The Power of Questions
What makes questions so powerful for change? You might think back to a time when someone asked you something that completely changed your perspective of a situation, or a time when someone prompted you to question what you thought to be true.
If you remember it that clearly, it was most likely a milestone in your life.
As a coach, I task myself with asking powerful questions every time I connect on a call with a client. Sometimes those health questions resulted in being able to sleep better that night, realizing something about their habits or patterns that they didn’t see initially, or even helps them clarify what their purpose is.
As a graduate of a Leadership program, much of my coursework involved eliciting feedback from peers and colleagues in order to create innovative solutions. Most companies have robust surveys and feedback forms to make sure their employee satisfaction is high (or at least not low).
Most of the research on asking questions deals with leaders of teams. The key benefits of using questions as a leader include:
- Building knowledge
- Learning about others
- Engaging creativity
- Validating Value
- Guide focus
- Help others improve
Often, when we are looking for personal development, we rely upon advice or mentorship. However, this approach denies our very real awareness of ourselves. Plus, when we don’t ask questions, we assume we know everything there is to know.
I can’t tell you how many clients have asked me to tell them what to do!
Unfortunately, coaching is not about telling folks what to do- it is about asking them what they desire and choose to do. Yet, not everyone is ready to jump into a coaching relationship, or knows how to ask themselves powerful health questions.
Here are some of the benefits of asking yourself questions:
- Leads to self-discovery
- Encourages changes
- Forms good habits
- Fuels your brain
Types of Questions
Not all questions are created equal- which you are probably aware of if you have ever felt like the subject of an interrogation. Thomas Kuhn famously said “the answers you get depend on the questions you ask,”
To be honest, some people have told me that I am too inquisitive or ask too many questions. I can’t help it! As a Questioner on the Four Tendencies quiz, and a lifelong Learner from the StrengthsFinder, a coach who believes in the power of the right questions, it’s hard for me NOT to question. Did I also mention I worked for over a decade in fraud investigations?
We will start with questions that are not particularly helpful for reflection (and could even be harmful):
Closed questions
Closed questions can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”. Unfortunately, this answer is not likely to lead to a powerful realization or desire for change.
For example, “did I eat healthy today”, “am I happy”, “did I exercise 5 times this week” have a definitive answer. Yet, the answer may not motivate a change or continue a habit, and the answer could even be cause for not asking the question the next day.
Leading questions
These questions are intended to lead to a desired answer, which could be positive or negative.
Some examples of a leading question could be “what don’t I like about this diet”, “how hard is exercising 4 times a week” or more positive examples like “did I enjoy that breakfast smoothie”? These can tap into our previous challenges with certain behaviors, and make it hard to imagine a new result.
Loaded questions
These questions are famously used by lawyers to trick respondents into admitting something they would rather not.
While I am a big proponent of facing our inner demons when it comes to health, I am not a sadist who revels in someone’s emotional pain. Leading questions could walk you down a path of identifying more with your past behavior than your future desired behavior.
Some loaded health questions could be “have I stopped eating full bags of Doritos” or “am I still skipping the gym because I’m too tired?”
Rhetorical questions
Rhetorical questions are a particular technique used by speakers to get the audience to agree, but don’t really require an answer.
This type of questioning may not be helpful for specific types of people, depending on where they are in their current situation.
For example, asking a person who is depressed “what if you could live your best life?” might not get a positive response. That person is not feeling their best, and that question could feel non-validating and dismissive.
I often feel that affirmations work like rhetorical questions- that is, not very well. Statements like “Today, I am brimming with energy and overflowing with joy”, “My body is healthy; my mind is brilliant; my soul is tranquil”, “Happiness is a choice”, “My future is an ideal projection of what I envision now” might grate against current reality so strongly that they make you feel phony, frustrated, or hopeless.
Anyone who has attempted to manifest more money, better health, or loving relationships might have experienced this strong contrast between what is desired and what is currently being experienced.
More Powerful Health Questions
Now that we have addressed some questions that are less powerful, let’s share the most powerful types of health questions. Some of these are from the International Coaching Federation, which is the approving body for my current certification as a holistic coach.
Open questions
One of the biggest skills you can learn is to ask yourself open-ended questions that allow your mind to create new solutions. This skill is difficult to develop- I even struggle with it sometimes as a coach! Yet, it is critical to unleashing powerful truths for your life.
Some examples of open health questions could be “how will I eat healthier today”, “what can I do right now to feel happy”, “how would my week improve if I exercise 5 times”?
These answers require awareness and reflection, and give you the opportunity to create your own solutions. As a side note, it can be tempting to be generic in asking yourself open-ended questions. A coach can help you narrow your focus on specific action steps that lead to transformation.
Connect with me to learn if coaching may be supportive for you.
Process questions
Process questions require you to put your own opinion into the answer. For example, you may have heard that intermittent fasting is THE THING for weight loss, but you may have personally struggled with being too hungry from skipping breakfast before. These questions also help you identify the knowledge you may have on the subject (which is probably more than you recognize!).
When I work with clients, I encourage them to incorporate review and analysis in their health journey. This is the final step of the 4-step process to sustainable lifestyle change. If you don’t know what’s working (or not working), your progress will stall.
Some of my favorite process questions include: “If you could start all over again, what would you do differently”, “what changes are needed to move forward”, “when have you been successful in a similar situation in the past” and “how will you hold yourself accountable“?
Sometimes, process questions are too broad to answer. Therefore, you can start with a conditional “if this, then that” question to build smaller steps to your overall health goals.
These might look like, “if I worked out 5 times a week, then I can ….” or “if I changed my morning routine, then that impacts…”
Awareness questions
These types of questions are the ones that are often followed by a pause, because you don’t already know the answer. It’s ok not to know the answers! If we already knew the answers, we would have mastered the goal already.
I love awareness questions, and they are EXTREMELY difficult to ask yourself in the moment. However, they can be the most powerful and effective health questions of all.
For example, “what is your desired health outcome” could have many layers, and the first or second answer may not be the “real” answer. Maybe you want to lose 25 pounds. If you then kept asking yourself “why”, you might realize that you really just want to have more energy to play with your kids or stop taking an expensive medication. Or, even that you don’t feel like yourself and want to find yourself again.
Shining a light on your intrinsic motivation is not easy, but is worth the effort.
Other awareness questions could be “what do I need right now” (especially if you’re in front of the fridge ready to grab an unhealthy snack), “what strengths can I use to achieve better health”, or “what have I learned from my past dieting attempts”?
Tracking what you are currently eating, how much water you’re drinking, or the frequency of your exercise sessions may or may not create awareness for you. Telling others of your completion of these things may also not create awareness for you.
Self-awareness requires assessing your own strengths and limitations.
Tracking calories, points, carbs, colors, foods, minutes, reps or classes don’t necessarily give you insight into your overall patterns. And, if you don’t celebrate your small wins, you may be acknowledging only your limitations.
Questions have the power to change your life, especially if you focus on powerful health questions.
As you think of upcoming holiday weight challenges or starting a new diet program, consider utilizing some of the questions above to improve your life.